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David Withun

Racism is a rejection of the image of God in humanity. And when practiced by Christians is nothing short of heresy and doctrines of demons.

I agree with Edward. If you believe in God, then you believe in the scriptures that God is infallible. If you believe in God, that he is infallible and His scriptures are the truth, then you must believe that God mad man in his own image. In layman’s term, God doesn’t make junk and mad no man inferior to another. Now let’s say you do not believe in God and you are one of those Darwinist. Then you have to believe that all men evolved from the amoeba and evolved into man, which means, all men are the same. So either way, how can a racist support his or her argument that one race is superior to the other? To be a Christian and a racists means you believe God is fallible. To be a Darwinist and be a racist, well, then I guess you really are not a Darwinist.

Comments from two of my friends on Facebook in response to my post:

The problem is deeper than racism. We have a deep disrespect for humanity due to lack of humility.

St. John of Damascus

I have recently reached the conclusion that iconoclasm (the destruction and rejection of icons) has played a major role in the violent and hedonistic society we live in. In Orthodox Christianity (the faith that gave us the original canon of holy scriptures), venerating icons is a part of public and private worship. The paintings are never worshiped as God or gods unto themselves, as was the golden calf and golden bulls of the Old Testament. Nor are they the graven images prohibited by Mosaic Law. But like the cherubim on the mercy seat and temple curtains that God commanded to be made in the place of worship (Exodus 25:17-22, 26:31-35), icons are symbols of the presence of the Lord in the church and home. Because He is the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ is depicted as a revered image alone and in various Gospel stories like the Resurrection of Lazarus and the Transfiguration. Likewise, images of Mary are revered as she gave birth to God the Son. Her example of humility and devotion makes her first among the myriad of men and women who have led exemplary Christian lives, the saints.

The saints are from every variety and form of humanity. Since Christianity was born in the Middle East, many of the men and women seem Arabic and Mediterranean in appearance. As the faith spread into Africa, Asia, and Europe; images of the saints often took on the features of the local population. Yet, icons were painted (or written) to a particular pattern and style so that anyone from anywhere in the world would know that this was a holy image. In fact, it is not uncommon for icons of saints of different races to be present in various Orthodox Churches. St. Moses the Ethiopian (aka: the Black) is venerated by Russians and Serbs. Jesus and Mary can be seen as pale skinned in some Ethiopian congregations. There are Oriental saints as well as the Native American St. Peter the Aleut that can be found in any branch of Orthodoxy. The point of iconography is to honor and celebrate the godliness of these men and women.

The logic of worshiping with icons is simple. If these icons of wood and paint are no longer here in the flesh, we are to transfer that love to the ultimate icons that we see everyday: other human beings. Men and women are the ultimate icons as we are not made by human hands, but by the hand of God. Therefore, we are to see the presence of Jesus in all people. Any woman can be the potential birth giver of great holiness. Any person can be a great example of Christian living. This is why in an Orthodox service we greet the bishops and priest with a holy kiss and likewise greet each other in significant services such as Forgiveness Vespers on the Sunday that starts Great Lent. As we worship before the icons in church and at home (Orthodox Christians maintain an icon corner in their homes as an extension of the church), their sober faces look at us as we judge ourselves if we have loved others as Christ loved us. Of course, there are Orthodox Christians that do struggle with race supremacy. But, the struggle is about the same as those who deal with other demons such as adultery, alcoholism, and any other sin. With the humble prayers of the church, confession, guidance from a spiritual father or mother, and (most necessary and above all) the grace of God; we struggle to and overcome these demons.

During the Magisterial and Radical Reformations, Protestantism launched a campaign to destroy icons and reject their place in worship. While it could be argued that the Roman Catholic Church (which split from Orthodoxy in 1054) of the Middle Ages began to focus too much on individual artistic style and strayed away from the patterns of the early church fathers, Calvin and his spiritual offspring failed to try to discover the theology of holy images. To them, the narrow interpretation of the Second Commandment (“Thou shall not make any graven images unto me …, Exodus 20:4-6) and removing all “Popish” elements from Christian worship was all that mattered. Thus, rather than simply throw out the dirty bath water of Roman Catholic diversions from the faith (which was the goal of some like Huss and Luther), Protestantism threw the precious baby of iconography and its theology out with it. Iconoclasm became welded in Western Europe and dominated America.

Iconoclasm has borne some very bitter fruit. Perhaps most destructive of these is our disrespect and dishonor of one another. No longer do we see the “Word made Flesh” before us in church and at home. By denying the sight of such an icon as being a part of personal and public devotion, we unwittingly deny that He became flesh. We may worship and honor His divinity in sermons and songs. But, without the visual honoring and loving of Jesus incarnate as a man, we deny the value of His humanity. As He identifies Himself even with the least of people, we therefore discredit the value of one another. By rejecting the image of the woman bearing the source of our salvation (even with women serving in the clergy), women are reduced to mere sex objects. By rejecting image of the Holy Child that sits on her lap (and in rare Orthodox icons, nurses at her breast), children can be exploited and, if we wish, killed before birth. By rejecting images of righteous living of those who do not look like us, we fear and hate other races. By rejecting the righteous images of ourselves, we destroy ourselves. Furthermore, as Protestants, we reject the tried and tested humble prayer disciplines of early Christianity (“they ain’t in the Bible”), the sacrament of confession (which is Biblical), and only time seek the guidance of a spiritual father or mother when we want something from God for selfish and unselfish reasons (and in this materialistic society, we too often seek the former) we have taken away the very tools needed for us to build a society where people truly love and honor one another.

No one kills a weed simply by picking its flowers, leaves, and seed heads. These things only come back and, sometimes, stronger than before. It is only when we poison, dig up, or destroy the root that the weed does not rise again. So, to fight against racism, ban abortion, or be involved in some other sort of social improvement on either side of the political coin while ignoring the roots of our violent society is an ultimate waste of time. Sure, there may be some temporary victories, at times there are some lasting and significant victories that can (if properly channeled) lead to a better society. But, too often, these efforts are seen as an end unto themselves and never seek to touch the deeper problem of humanity. Thus, we are reduced to being leaf pickers instead of root killers. Such efforts are easily exploited by charlatans on the left and right who profit from our emotions.

I propose that we kill the roots of violence in society by learning to and honoring one another as the image of God. Set aside political, racial, and sexual ideologies and reconsider what it is to be Christian in the eyes of those who put the canon of scripture and established church doctrine in the first 1000 years of our faith. Speak with Orthodox priest about the importance of icons, the theology behind them, and their relevance in our lives today. With his advice and guidance, follow a prayer discipline that includes the veneration of icons and learn about some saints from other parts of the world. For a good layman’s resource, I suggest Deacon Michael Hyatt’s (the CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing and Orthodox Christian) podcast on the Seventh Ecumenical Council. You Tube broadcaster and blogger David Withum has a very good series, “In Defense of the Holy Icons.” If you want original source material, St. John of Damascus’s “Three Treatises on the Divine Images” is available. Boycotts, campaign speeches, marches, and speeches will not mean a thing unless each of us is humbly addresses our own faults and failures.

Only when we have love to see each other with the eyes of the God who became a man can we have meaningful change in our society. This is especially difficult as the charlatans urge us to choose either the left or the right side of corrupt human existence. We belong to God. Thus, we should and must offer ourselves to Him.

I am recovering from the Feast of All Saints of North America (overindulgence in a stuffed crust, super supreme pizza). About to go to a staff meeting at the park ( I am supplying a salad and portabella mushrooms for myself as I am not going to eat any chicken). And I have more than a few loose ends to tie up this week for the church. Thus far, I can say that I am happy with my journey on this Apostles Fast.

I am finding so much history in Orthodoxy. I knew that Christianity had existed in Ethiopia since high school. But, thanks to modern technology, I have learned even more of this church as well as the Copts of Egypt. You Tube has become a valuable instrument in my learning of the ancient faith. Archbishop Lazar Puhalo and David Withun have very informative videos on the network. I also listen to the lectures on the Ancient Faith Radio podcast. I intend to visit either the Greek Orthodox Church or OCA Mission when I go to Charlottesville soon and will be able to visit the Antiochian Church on the fifth Sunday of July. As soon as the Greek Church opens in Williamsburg, I will attend some midweek services.

Perhaps some would criticize my appreciation for Orthodoxy and wonder why I am asking, seeking, and knocking on their door when I have been a life-long Baptist and pastor a church. History is one reason. We African-American Baptist have a rich legacy of preaching, music, and theology that I do appreciate and thank God for. But, the Baptist faith is only over 200 years old. Yes, we can talk about the legacy of Robert Walker, Nat Turner, John Jasper, Howard Thurman, and Adam Clayton Powell, and Martin Luther King, Jr. and the message they had for our community and nation. But, we should also learn and celebrate the legacy and message of the African fathers who contributed to the very foundations of Christianity. St Anthony the Great is recognized as the father of monasticism by both Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism. His contemporary, St. Athanasius, described Anthony as being of the Egyptian race. In speaking of his fellow African, Athanasius put together the New Testament! Seriously, how can we even call ourselves African-American Christians and not give recognition to the Africans that helped form the faith? How can we not also celebrate those martyrs such as Cyprian of Carthage, Maurice and the Theban Legion? Is the oppression and murder they suffered less important than that of King or the four girls that were killed in a Birmingham church bombing? If we are going to tell the history of our Christian heritage, we ought to tell the whole story.

The Africans who contributed to early Christianity were not former slaves that had to overcome Jim Crow laws to be accepted by whites. They were held as equals in faith going back to that first named Christian community in Antioch (Acts 13:1). Race was a non-issue in the early Orthodox world. Ethiopians have some icons of a pale skinned Jesus out of respect for the Russian Orthodox whom they have enjoyed a long kinship with. There are churches and monasteries in Europe with icons of the Theotokos and Christ darker than I am. Most images of Christ and others in the Bible are depicted as Middle Eastern, neither black nor white. The history of the faith is multicultural and universal (Colossians 3:11).

And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man

Genesis 2:22

Like anyone should be surprised that a liberal president would be in favor of a liberal cause. I was more surprised about people being surprised. I am also aware that our heterosexual marriages aren’t much to crow about these days. Scripture and two thousand years of church teaching stands against homosexuality. These things also tell us “straight” people that we need a healthier look at our relationships.

STRAIGHTEN OUT STRAIGHT MARRIAGE

Genesis 2:18-25

Introduction

Mr. Obama’s Biblical reference does not apply to gay marriage

Antithesis

Protestant doctrine has assisted in the ruin of heterosexual marriage

Capitalism has assisted in the ruin of heterosexual marriage

Propositional statement

Rather than be upset with gay marriage, we need to heed the story of creation to revive the best of our traditional marriages

Points

We should concentrate on the work God gave us and let him present us with the person we should have (v. 15, 18)

We should accept the person God has for us for who he or she is (v. 23)

We should be and create a bond where we are safe to be open and honest with each other (v.25)

It is not enough for us to say that heterosexual monogamy is God’s will. We must seek God in our marriages to make them so.